Every experienced hunter has a 16 gauge shotgun in his arsenal. This is the best option for hunting small rodents, game and even large animals. However, recently the popularity of this caliber has decreased. This is due to the fact that new models of weapons for hunters and athletes have increasingly begun to appear. What are the differences between models with this caliber and whether they are worth buying, we will consider further.
What's special about 16 gauge?
A smoothbore gun can have either a tapered or straight barrel. The caliber is determined by the internal diameter of the gun barrel. Sixteen gauge models can be:
- Vertical, when the outlets are located in a vertical position.
- Horizontal, in which the muzzles are placed next to each other.
- Single-barreled.
The main feature of 16 gauge is that it is produced in both double-barreled and single-barreled rifles. Of course, shooting from a single-barreled gun is more comfortable, since it does not block the view, but in this case it is more difficult to hit the target. Such guns are excellent for running shooting, as they are light in weight and have good firepower. And this is more than enough to hunt large adult game.
Interesting! Both domestic and foreign companies began producing this caliber almost 70 years ago. Despite this, even such an old weapon still serves many hunters today.
Hunting weapon TOZ-55
Combined hunting rifle TOZ-55
The TOZ-55 shotgun, developed by Tula gunsmiths, belongs to a category called a combined hunting weapon. This is a double-barreled shotgun with a rifled and smooth barrel or two smooth barrels located in a vertical plane and reclining when opened. This gun was designed specifically for hunting large wild animals and was called the “Bison”. It belongs to the highest class hunting weapons. It is produced mainly in piece and souvenir versions. In the latest version, the TOZ-55 “Bison” hunting weapon is produced in special gift cases with all the necessary accessories and accessories.
The design of the domestic combined shotgun “Bison” was based on the mechanism of the famous Tula smooth-bore double-barreled shotgun TOZ-34, which received recognition not only in our country, but also abroad. The model of this shotgun was indeed successful in all respects and gave birth to a whole family of hunting weapons.
Of course, a number of changes and additions were made to the design of the Zubr. Taking into account the fact that the rifled barrel of the TOZ-55 hunting weapon was designed to use powerful 9 mm cartridges, all the designs of the main components of this model were significantly strengthened. In particular, the receiver received an additional margin of safety due to the inclusion of special protrusions made on the barrel coupling into the corresponding cutouts on the side walls of the box. This design ensured a more reliable and tight fit of the barrels in the Zubr receiver.
The TOZ-55 weapon is equipped with an easy-to-use non-automatic fuse. Additional elements that ensure the safety of this powerful gun are interceptors (hammer interceptors) and cocking indicators. To remove cartridges when unlocking the barrels, there is an ejector mechanism.
The complete set of TOZ-55 hunting weapons includes as many as five pairs of barrels:
- Fitting (both barrels are rifled 9 mm) - TOZ-55-01
- Bullet shot, 9 mm/12 - TOZ-55-02
- Smoothbore sideflint 12-gauge - TOZ-55-03
- Trench side flint 12 gauge
- Side flint for round stands 12 gauge
The first three sets refer to hunting weapons, the last two to sporting weapons.
All shotgun variants have a ventilated rib. The barrels are chrome plated. Rifled - have folding rear sights and are equipped with removable optics. Shotguns with smooth barrels weigh 3.4 kg, rifled - 3.8 kg.
Flaws
However, the following disadvantages are often identified:
- a small number of animals that can be hunted;
- the complexity of the design of guns, which is not suitable for beginners;
- slight sharpness of combat (compared to other calibers).
In addition, the caliber is not suitable for long-range shooting due to its accuracy characteristics. Another disadvantage is that every year it becomes more and more difficult to purchase such weapons, since new models of modern rifles are constantly appearing. There has never been any unambiguous attitude towards rifles of this caliber. After all, a lot also depends on individual preferences.
Popular 16 gauge horizontal models
IZH-58
This gun, which was released back in 1958, is perhaps one of the best for the novice hunter. The butt and fore-end are made of natural wood, pleasant to the touch. Internal trigger locks with safety locks ensure safety and prevent accidental shots. The triple bolt locks the barrels using one upper and two lower hooks. There are also several modifications of this rifle: IZH-58 MA and IZH-58 MAE. The first is distinguished by the presence of an automatic fuse, the latter by an ejector, which can be easily removed if necessary. The IZH-58 barrel length is 71 centimeters, and the weapon weighs just over three kilograms.
MP-43
The main distinguishing feature of this gun from the previous one is the universal double trigger mechanism. Thus, the hunter can shoot both in single-trigger mode and in autonomous mode. In addition, the model has an ergonomic shape, improved build quality and metal.
Dismantling TOZ 34
A special feature of a gun without a barrel separating device is that the barrel separating mechanism is controlled by the front trigger. In order to separate the trunks from the box you need to:
- Make a smooth release of the triggers;
- Press the first trigger, and without releasing it, move the unlocking lever to the extreme right position, behind the red dot on the shank of the box;
- Then separate the barrels from the box by disengaging the ring hinges.
When reassembling, before engaging the hinges, it is necessary to pull the extractor (ejector) towards you all the way, otherwise the barrels will not close.
Due to some complexity of this operation (especially when separating barrels in a new gun, when the parts of the mechanism have not yet gotten used to it), there were cases of breakage of internal parts (cockers) when excessive force was applied, so in 1977 it was necessary to introduce a special flag on the right side into the design of the gun boxes: to separate the barrels, just turn it down - the barrels are easily separated only when the locking lever is pulled to the right. Guns with flags in the marking received an additional letter “M”: TOZ-34M, TOZ-34EM (currently this letter has a different meaning).
Handguard
The forend in guns of the TOZ-34 type is integral and consists of two halves attached to the barrels with screws. In the first batches of guns, the fore-end had a square cross-section, which turned out to be inconvenient for hunters, and the shape had to be changed.
Box
The initial outlines of the front edges of the box were also somewhat awkward. When they were changed, it immediately gave the gun a more aesthetic, smooth shape.
Shotgun butt
The butt of the gun has a pistol-shaped neck and a tap to the right for better grip. The back of the butt is made of plastic, but can also be rubber (to soften recoil); in this case, the letter “P” is added to the marking of the gun.
Vertical shotguns
Unlike horizontal ones, vertical ones provide a good overview without interference, but they are inconvenient to shoot in strong winds.
TOZ-34
TOZ-34 is truly an iconic weapon. The main advantage of the TOZ-34 is the design of the barrels. In addition, this vertical gun has a comfortable stock with a protrusion under the cheekbone; a shooter of any height can use the rifle. The rifle weighs a little more than three kilograms.
MR-27 (IZH-27)
This gun features a pistol stock and an internal trigger mechanism. With it you can hunt almost any living creature, including birds. Accidental shots cannot happen thanks to special interceptors. The barrels have a standard muzzle constriction: one barrel is “choke”, the second is “poluchok”. A special wedge, which fits into the groove of the coupling, ensures single locking of the barrel. The weight of the rifle is almost three and a half kilograms.
History[edit | edit code]
The TOZ-55 “Zubr” gun was developed in the mid-1970s based on the design of the TOZ-34 gun[3], and in 1975 its production began in a piece version[2][1]. Subsequently, taking into account the experience gained during the design of the TOZ-55 fitting, the TOZ-57 sports gun was created[4].
In April 1987, a decision was made to begin production of the TOZ-84 double-barreled hunting rifle, which was to become the new basic model of the Tula Arms Plant and replace in production the TOZ-34 hunting rifle, the TOZ-55 Zubr rifle and the TOZ-57 sporting rifle [5]. Subsequently, production of the fitting was discontinued[6].
In the 1990s, an attempt was made in the Russian Federation to start producing the combined double-barreled shotgun TOZ-55-2 "Bison", which was a simplified and cheaper version of the TOZ-55 "Bison" rifle[7].
16 gauge single barrel shotguns
MC-21
This model is one of the first semi-automatic shotguns manufactured in the Soviet Union. In addition, this is the only domestic self-loading gun of its kind, which operates on the principle of a moving barrel. This is an ideal option for both novice hunters and commercial hunting. The minimum accuracy of combat in this case is approximately sixty percent at a distance of thirty meters. MTs-21 is a fairly reliable model and is often used for hunting in regions with cold climates. The gun is easy to disassemble and does not require special maintenance or frequent lubrication. The barrel length is 78 centimeters, and the rifle weighs a little more than three kilograms.
IZH-18
This single-barreled shotgun can easily be called one of the best of its kind. It is distinguished by the internal arrangement of the trigger, a narrow barrel with a front sight without a sighting bar. It is also quite easy to disassemble into three parts. In addition, this model is easy to use. The safety here is a push-button one; if the gun is not completely closed, an accidental shot will not occur. When struck or hit, the trigger automatically switches to safety. The gun has a barrel length of 7300 mm and weighs just over two and a half kilograms.
When deciding to choose a 16-gauge gun for hunting, you need to pay attention to the technical characteristics, as well as your own feelings while shooting. It’s not for nothing that many hunters fell in love with the sixteenth gauge. Good accuracy, excellent power and great stopping power - all this makes 16-gauge shotguns the optimal option for hunting both small game and large animals.
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Characteristics of the TOZ 34 hunting rifle
Hunting rifle TOZ 34 characteristics:
- Caliber: 12;
- Chamber length: 70;
- Barrel length: 711;
- Gun weight: 3.3 kg.
Gun barrels
The gun barrels are connected by a breech coupling and additionally fastened with inter-barrel straps; they can be made with either a solid aiming strip or a ventilated type strap (by the way, this is more of a tribute to fashion; it is practically not needed directly for hunting).
The bores and chambers are chrome plated.
The muzzle devices of the barrels of the TOZ-34 gun underwent some changes during the production process: initially the size of the choke constrictions was 0.8-1.0 mm for the lower barrel, 1.1-1.3 mm for the upper barrel, but later their sizes became standard: 0 .6 mm - lower trunk 1.0 mm - upper. Nowadays, shotguns are made with a wider range of muzzle devices. The barrels of the TOZ-34 and TOZ-34E shotguns have chambers 70 mm long. The connection between the barrel block and the gun frame of this model has an original design (no longer found in domestic guns) - it is carried out using ring hinges (they are partially cut off to ensure separation of the barrels). Of course, such a device places increased demands on the machine production of annular grooves and protrusions, but it makes it possible to obtain a lower location of the barrels in the box, which, in turn, made it possible to reduce its height and give the gun very aesthetic shapes.
Although the barrels of the TOZ-34 gun were designed for the use of cartridges with paper, plastic and metal casings, the latter are still less desirable, since they somewhat reduce the accuracy and uniformity of the shot.
The barrels of shotguns of the TOZ-34 type are locked in a single manner, using a wide locking frame on the hook of the barrel coupling. This method of locking, despite its simplicity, ensures a guaranteed survivability of the gun for more than 12,000 shots (almost significantly higher).
A similar locking method is also used in Izhevsk shotguns IZH-12, IZH-27.
Extraction of spent cartridges
Extraction of spent cartridges is carried out in the TOZ-34 gun with a conventional extractor (ejector), and in the TOZ-34E gun - with separate automatic ejectors (ejectors); in this case, only the spent cartridge case is ejected, and from the chamber of the barrel from which the shot was not fired, the cartridge only extends a short distance.
The ejector springs are preloaded when the barrels are opened (simultaneously with cocking the hammers).
Distinctive feature of the gun
A distinctive feature of the TOZ-34 (TOZ-34E) gun is a detachable plate on the “forehead” of the box, secured with two screws, which gives the gun owner the opportunity to eliminate the increased gap between the “forehead” of the box and the breech end of the barrels by installing a metal spacer under the detachable plate.
